Norse Gods
This one-eyed god of wisdom and war traded his eye for a drink from the well of knowledge.
The God Odin
This English monastery, attacked in 793 AD, marks the traditionally accepted start of the Viking Age
Raid of Lindisfarne
This type of Viking longship, meaning "snake" or "dragon," was the primary warship used for raids
The drakkar
This writing system of angular symbols carved in stone or wood was used throughout the Viking world.
the Writing of Runes
This great world tree connects the nine realms of Norse cosmology
The World of Yggdrasil
the trickster god who could shape-shift and eventually caused the death of Baldr
The God Loki
Vikings named this large island "Land of Ice" to discourage settlers.
Iceland
Vikings used this tight shield formation as their primary defensive tactic in land combat
the shield wall
This fermented honey drink was the prestigious beverage of Viking feasts, associated with poetry and wisdom
mead
These two wolves chase the sun and moon and will finally catch them at Ragnarok
The Wovles Skoll and Hati
This god of thunder wielded a hammer called Mjolnir and was worshipped by many Norse warriors
The God Thor
This Viking explorer is credited as the first European to reach North America around 1000 AD.
Leif Eriksson
This legendary battle frenzy caused some Viking warriors to ignore pain and fight recklessly
Going berserk
Viking women had the right to do this — something unusual in medieval Europe
This is the Norse apocalypse or the twilight of the gods or when the world is destroyed in a great battle
Ragnarok
These female figures chose who would die in battle and brought the slain to Valhalla.
The Goddess Valkyries
This settlement in present-day Newfoundland is the only confirmed Norse site in North America
The L'Anse aux Meadows
The shallow draft of Viking longships allowed them to do this in rivers that typical warships couldn't
Sail in shallow water
The great mead hall was the center of Viking social life; this famous hall in Norse legend belonged to Odin
The Valhalla
Odin's two ravens fly across the world each day and report everything they see back to him.
Huginn and Muninn
This goddess of love and war led the Vanir gods and could transform into a falcon.
The goddess Freya
This city, formerly known as Jorvik, was a major Viking settlement and trading hub in England (LIKE one of the States in America)
The city of York
This two-handed axe was a signature Viking weapon, sometimes used to hook and pull aside an enemy's shield
A Dane axe
Vikings used this outdoor assembly for law and dispute resolution, a forerunner of modern democracy.
the Thing
This fierce sea creature in Norse legend could sink ships and was sometimes mistaken for an island and looks like Squid
The Kraken